1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover mountable to a beverage container and a mounting method and apparatus thereof, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a cover mountable to a beverage container and a mounting method and apparatus thereof, wherein the cover is mounted to an upper surface of a container end which is coupled to an upper end of the beverage container and on which a pull tab is installed to be used when opening a discharging hole defined in the upper surface of the container end, in a manner such that the cover can selectively close and open the discharging hole in a state that the discharging hole is initially opened.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a metal can is widely used as a beverage container throughout the world in view of its portability and storability. In general, the metal can is, as shown in FIG. 1, made of aluminum or a thin plate which is coated with aluminum. In its construction, the metal can comprises a body 10 which is formed to have a cylindrical configuration so that a beverage is accommodated therein, and a container end 20 which is coupled to an upper end of the body 10.
The container end 20 is formed with a discharging hole 22 through which the beverage can be discharged out of the beverage container. A capping device for the discharging hole 22 is installed on the container end 20. The capping device is composed of a seal plate 24a which is integrally formed with the container end 20 upon forming the container end 20 to close the discharging hole 22, and a pull tab 24b which is securely installed on an upper surface of the container end 20 by a central pin 26 in a manner such that it can depress downward the seal plate 24a to result in pivoting movement of the seal plate 24a into the interior of the beverage container.
However, in the metal can constructed as mentioned above, once the discharging hole 22 is opened, it is impossible to reclose the discharging hole 22. Therefore, in the case that a period of time is lapsed in a state wherein the beverage container is opened, foreign substances can enter into the beverage container to contaminate a beverage accommodated therein. Also, if a user moves while holding the can in his hand, the likelihood of liquid spillage from the beverage container is increased.
To cope with these problems, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,039 discloses a container cover which is integrally and rotatably coupled to an upper surface of a beverage container by a central pin and has a seal depression, a straw insertion hole and a finger grip; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,763 discloses a beverage container cover which is detachably and rotatably coupled to an upper surface of a beverage container and is formed with a notch.
However, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,039 still suffers from defects in that the container cover is integrally coupled to the upper surface of the beverage container. Therefore, because the container cover must be necessarily coupled to the beverage container upon manufacturing the beverage container, a separate assembling process is required and the construction of an existing beverage container should be modified. Specifically, since the container cover cannot be detached from the beverage container, the container cover cannot but be a permanent feature of the beverage container and, as such, it cannot be removed or reused. In this regard, due to the fact that the container cover cannot be removed from the beverage container, it is impossible for a user to see a lower surface of the container cover, and thus, the container cover cannot be effectively used for other purposes, such as a game implement or a medium for providing free gifts.
While the U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,763 can solve more or less the defects induced in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,039, due to the fact that the container cover is detachably coupled to the upper surface of the beverage container, it also encounters a problem in that the container cover is only formed with the notch which can be selectively communicated with a discharging hole of the beverage container. Consequently, since additional convenience factors such as a straw insertion hole through which a straw can be inserted into the beverage container, a finger grip or the like are not provided, a higher grade of satisfaction cannot be rendered to a user. Further, in both of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,717,039 and 4,852,763, if a lengthy period of time is lapsed while the beverage containers are circulated in the market in a state wherein the container cover is mounted to each beverage container, because potentially hazardous debris such as dust particles may be accumulated on an upper surface of the container cover, the debris can enter into the human body, whereby health conditions of the user can be deteriorated.
Also, because the straw insertion hole of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,039 is formed to have a predetermined diameter, in the case that a diameter of a commercially available straw does not correspond to the predetermined diameter of the straw insertion hole, the straw can play or float on the beverage rather than being fixedly maintained in place. In addition, in the case that a diameter of a commercially available straw corresponds to the predetermined diameter of the straw insertion hole, because the straw is inserted through the straw insertion hole in a vertical direction, a drinking angle of the straw cannot be easily changed, whereby a problem is caused in that the user must drink the beverage while tipping the beverage container.
On the other hand, in order to open the discharging hole 22 of the beverage container, while the pull tab 24b must be pulled upward thereby to depress the seal plate 24a downward, at this time, because the pull tab 24b is brought into nearly close contact with the upper surface of the container end of the beverage container, a fingernail of the user is likely to be broken or damaged in the course of pulling upward the pull tab 24b, whereby troublesomeness is caused in that the pull tab 24b cannot be easily pulled upward.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and a primary object of the present invention is to provide a container cover mountable to a beverage container, which is selectively installed on an upper surface of the beverage container in a manner such that it can repeatedly close and open an opened discharging hole of the beverage container, thereby rendering a higher grade of satisfaction to a user who drinks a beverage accommodated in the beverage container, and which is constructed to have an advertisement printing zone on an upper surface thereof, thereby maximizing effectiveness of advertising.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container cover mountable to a beverage container, which can prevent a fingernail of a user from being damaged in the course of manipulating a pull tab for opening a discharging hole of the beverage container, thereby allowing the discharging hole of the beverage container to be opened in an easier manner.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for mounting a container cover mountable to a beverage container, which enable the container cover to be rotatably coupled to a container end of the beverage container.
In order to achieve the primary object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container cover detachably mountable to an upper surface of a beverage container, the container cover comprising: a body formed to have substantially a disc-shaped configuration, the body being partly cut away from an edge toward a center thereof thereby to define a beverage discharging opening which has a predetermined width and a predetermined contour, the beverage discharging opening capable of being selectively communicated with a discharging hole of the beverage container as the body is rotated, an inner end of the beverage discharging opening being delimited by a rotation guiding part which has a predetermined curvature to guide rotation of the body, the body having a straw insertion hole which is defined therein at a predetermined location to have a predetermined diameter in a manner such that a straw can be inserted therethrough, the body further having an advertisement surface which has a predetermined area in a manner such that an advertising design, letters, and so forth can be printed or an attachment can be affixed thereon.
In order to achieve another object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container cover detachably mountable to an upper end of a beverage container, the upper end of the beverage container being defined with a discharging hole and having a pull tab for opening the discharging hole, the container cover having a beverage discharging opening and a straw insertion hole, the container cover comprising: a plurality of protuberances formed on the container cover at both sides of the beverage discharging opening for allowing a user to easily rotate the container cover; a plurality of tab lifting projections formed on the container cover for lifting the pull tab as the container cover is rotated; and a filtering part formed with at least one filtering hole, the filtering part projecting upward from a plane of the container cover and being delimited by a press line which is formed therearound in a manner such that the filtering part can be depressed into the discharging hole of the upper end of the beverage container thereby to be flushed with a lower surface of the upper end of the beverage container.
In order to achieve still another object, according to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, comprising the processes of: forming a body of the beverage container, in which a beverage is to be accommodated; forming a container end which is to be coupled to an upper end of the body of the beverage container and to which a pull tab for opening a discharging part and thereby defining a discharging hole is coupled, the discharging hole allowing the beverage to be discharged out of the beverage container therethrough; coupling the container end to the upper end of the body of the beverage container in a state wherein the beverage is accommodated in the body of the beverage container; forming a container cover which is composed of a body of substantially a disc-shaped configuration and is mounted to an upper surface of the container end, the body being formed with a beverage discharging opening, at least one filtering hole and a straw insertion hole; and rotatably coupling the container cover formed in the container cover forming process, between the upper surface of the container end and the pull tab, while the container end forming process is implemented.
Also, according to yet still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, comprising the steps of: loading a container end and moving the container end in a predetermined direction; sensing and aligning in a predetermined orientation the container end which is moved by the container end loading step; and inserting a container cover between an upper surface of the container end which is moved in an aligned state by the container end sensing and aligning step and a pull tab. To this end, there is provided an apparatus for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, comprising: a container end loading device for loading a container end and moving the container end in a predetermined direction; a container end sensing and aligning device for sensing and aligning in a predetermined orientation the container end which is moved by the container end loading device; a container cover inserting device for inserting a container cover between an upper surface of the container end which is moved in an aligned state by the container end sensing and aligning device and a pull tab; and a container end arranging and storing device for arranging and storing in a predetermined pattern container ends each of which has the container cover inserted thereinto by the container cover inserting device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional beverage container;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a container cover in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 3a through 3d are schematic plan views illustrating states wherein the container cover according to the embodiment of the present invention is used;
FIGS. 4a through 4r are views illustrating container covers according to several variations of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a beverage container in which the container cover according to the present invention is coupled to a container end;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an entire procedure of a method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating detailed processes of the method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 8a and 8b are explanatory views used for explaining the method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9a is a block diagram illustrating an entire procedure of a method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9b is a block diagram illustrating detailed processes of the method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9a; 
FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a course in which the container cover is mounted to a container end, while implementing the method for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9a; 
FIG. 11a is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 11b is a schematic plan view illustrating the apparatus for mounting a container cover which is mountable to a beverage container, according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11a.